DECEPTION Series: Part 2

DECEPTION – 2

THE GREATEST BLESSING: THE WORD

Written by: Pravin Moudgill

All references are from NKJV except where specified otherwise

Deceivers: Satan, heart

Satan and my heart, these are both deceptive beyond imagination. In partnership they deceive the whole world.

• Rev 12:9 “the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world” 
• Jer 17:9 “The heart (the self) is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked”

Note:  ‘Desperately wicked’ is translated as: ‘desperately sick’ NASU, ‘incurable’ YLT, ‘mortally sick’ i.e. a sickness that ends in death CJB

They are both incurable. There is only one end for them—Satan: lake of fire; self: crucifixion.

Deception

Deception begins when I choose to not believe the word—I then end up believing what is false.

Note:  ‘I am deceived’ means that I believe something that is contrary to the word. 

Some types of truths that we choose to not believe are: 

Note:  There are many other types of unbeliefs, e.g. ‘predestination and free will are opposing truths, therefore they cannot both be true.’

“I cannot believe because…”

“…it is too good to be true”: e.g. ‘to gain God here and now’ 1 Chron 16:11, Phil 3:7-10.

“…it is impossible to achieve”: e.g. ‘to come to the stature of the fullness of Christ’ Eph 4:13, ‘to be filled with all the fullness of God’ Eph 3:19.

“…God will never do harm”: e.g. ‘eating the fruit will lead to death’ Gen 2:17, ‘if I do not forgive I will not be forgiven’ Mt 6:14-15—or other warnings and negative truths.

Consequences

The disciples did not believe that Jesus would die (a negative truth). See below for consequences

• Mt 16:22 “(Jesus said that He must be killed.) Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"” 

Heart: Unbelief hardens the heart. Because they were not willing to believe His death they could not therefore believe that He would rise again. 

• Mark 16:14 “Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart”

Mind: Unbelief also ‘hardens’ the mind. The mind can no longer understand the scriptures. Jesus had to open the minds of the disciples.

• Luke 24:45 “He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures” 

Unbelief spreads: Unbelief hardens the mind and the heart and leads to further unbelief—it spreads into other areas of life. The disciples were e.g. not willing to believe Jesus’ death; they were therefore deceived about their love for Him.

• Mt 26:35 “Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And so said all the disciples.” 

But they all forsook Him; and Peter even denied Him.

Freedom

A person not walking in the truth is in bondage, he is in a spiritual prison. But truth sets free.

• John 8:32 “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Freedom begins when I say ‘yes’ to the word—when I choose to believe. The Author of Faith then begins to put the word in my mind and heart Heb 12:2, 8:10-11—He gifts me faith.

Cure

The word of God is a mirror that exposes deception.

• James 1:22-23 “(when a man looks into) the word…(it) is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror.” 

The word is the ‘law of liberty’; it shows me my bondage, and as I obey, I am set free.

• James 1:25 “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” 

The degree to which I am a doer of the word to that degree I am set free from spiritual prison.

• James 1:22-25 “But be doers of the word…25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it…this one will be blessed in what he does.” 

Understanding-believing-doing is the greatest blessing. It frees me to set others free Rom 8:21.

• Gal 5:1 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” NIV 

Important: To study and understand but not do takes me deeper into deception.

• James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

I cannot blame Satan; then it is I who is deceiving me. 

Day of Judgment

I will be judged by the very words that I did not accept.

• John 12:48 “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him — the word that I have spoken (which he did not receive) will judge him in the last day.” 

This is because to reject any part of the written word is to reject Jesus, the Living Word.

Always

I have to be losing my life always, I have to deny the self always Lk 9:23-24. As I deny through understanding-believing-doing the kingdom will come in me and through me into the world.

To understand the word increasingly I have to meditate on it always Josh 1:8—the word will renew my mind increasingly Rom 12:2.

To believe the word increasingly I have to be praying always 1 Thess 5:17—praying that the word be written in my heart increasingly Heb 8:10-11, and doing it according to my ability.

To do the word increasingly I have to be praying for (1) willingness to obey increasingly, and for (2) increase in ability to obey Phil 3:13—I will then be living the word increasingly.

As I do the above Jesus overcomes my ‘self’; He takes control of my life increasingly. And overcomes the world and Satan through me increasingly 1 Jn 5:4-5, Rev 12:11.

Blessing

‘Kingdom of God on the earth’ means: ‘everything conforms to the written word’.

The Word living in me in my stead, and His kingdom on earth—these are the greatest blessings.

The written word is the source of these greatest blessings.